Police in riot gear dismantled the Occupy Cal tents on the UC Berkeley campus early this morning. Two protesters were arrested, but it was otherwise calm and orderly….

When Occupy Oakland campers were evicted, again, on Sunday night, mayor Jean Quan was torn over her decision to clear the encampment. Her deputy mayor, Sharon Cornu, and legal adviser, Dan Siegel, both resigned following the action, but pressure from other officials and the murder near Occupy Oakland on November 10 urged her to press on with the eviction…

Meanwhile, San Francisco mayor Ed Lee says he seeks dramatic changes at the Occupy San Francisco encampment, but hasn’t yet ordered police to shut it down. So far, the city has issued 11 demands, including a limit of 100 tents (there are currently about 200) and no alcoholic beverages. San Francisco Fire chief Joanne Hayes-White says the camp presents a huge health and safety concern….

Some are concerned that the pressure to evict Occupy Oakland came largely from the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and other local business associations dominated by representatives from large corporations, including telecommunications companies, big banks, and investment firms…

But the coverage of Occupy Oakland through social media and the blogosphere was hardly dominated by big companies. The Oakland Tribune will host a panel discussion this Saturday on the splash caused by non-journalists reporting on the movement, featuring citizen celebrity Spencer Mills, known on Twitter as OakFoSho…

In other protest news, faculty from Cal State University East Bay and CSU Dominguez Hills are going on strike today to demand the pay raises that were promised and go undelivered. They expect support from other CSU campuses…

Another large construction project has come into question, however, as a panel of Bay Area transportation commissioners criticizes Caltrans for failing to alert anyone that the technician who fabricated test data for other structures also tested the new Bay Bridge. The biggest problem? This information comes after completing assembly of the bridge’s tower foundation, making retesting impossible…

And what seems impossible, but one hundred years from now could be a reality, is the disappearance of Bay Area marshes. If climate scientists’ predictions of a 5.4 foot? sea level rise are correct, 93% of the bay’s tidal wetlands will vanish, and along with them tens of thousands of species of birds and other wildlife that call those wetlands home…

Thousands of foreclosed homes that pose a safety or health concern are now being handled more frequently by receiverships, a legal process in which control of the property is temporarily transferred to a court-appointed officer. This is a way for city officials to take hold of empty homes that could lead to blight, which is a step beyond the fines that homeowners usually incur for leaving their homes in disrepair…

Homes in San Francisco are still considered a hot commodity, so much so that a mere 25 percent of San Francisco police officers and 33 percent of firefighters actually live in the city. A 2007 pilot program called Police in the Community Loan offers $20,000 to police officers who buy a home in San Francisco — forgiving that loan after five years of good conduct — but it’s still underutilized.

After record low turn-out for a competitive mayor’s race in San Francisco, some critics are calling for the end of ranked-choice voting, labeling it a “failed experiment.” They claim the system only exacerbates the problems it was meant to fix, including campaign finance issues, negative campaigning, and voter turnout…

San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who was just elected sheriff in a ranked-choice race, has proposed legislation that would require San Francisco shoppers to pay a 10-cent fee for each bag provided by a store at checkout. The legislation would also extend the current ban on plastic bags at grocery and drug stores to encompass all retail stores…

Another official elected by ranked-choice voting, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan is dealing with yesterday’s resignation of two top staff members. Dan Siegel, her chief legal adviser and longtime friend, sharply criticized her handling of the latest Occupy Oakland Raid. Co-deputy mayor Sharon Cornu, meanwhile, left more quietly. She praised the mayor’s handling of the Occupy Oakland situation, and was not specific regarding the cause of her resignation…

In other Occupy news, Santa Rosa city officials are planning to issue a limited number of camping permits to some members of the Occupy Santa Rosa encampment outside City Hall. There are currently over 100 tents, but the city is planning to issue only 57 permits, meaning the others could still face possible eviction…

In contrast to Santa Rosa’s quietly supportive relationship with protesters, the UC Board of Regents canceled their bimonthly meeting that was to take place this week in San Francisco, after receiving “credible intelligence” about possibly violent protests. Meanwhile, trustees of California State University are proceeding with their own meetings today and tomorrow, but adding more security. Both systems are facing criticism for more tuition hikes and layoffs in the face of continuing budget woes…

And in other transportation-related news, San Francisco cyclist Raymond Ang will be charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the death of an elderly pedestrian. Ang collided with the woman after he ran a red light on his bicycle in July. While the case has drawn a lot of attention, both bike and pedestrian advocates point out that cars still remain the biggest danger to pedestrians on the street.